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DOORS TO DEMOCRACY ARE OPEN
S. Kravchenko
President of Ecopravo-Lviv, Ukraine
The Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters has entered into force on October 30, 2001.
UNECE Secretariat organized an informal meeting for celebration of this event at the Palais de Nations, in Geneva. The meeting was opened by Kaj Barlund, Head of the Division of Environment and Human Settlements. He conveyed greetings from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who said, "the Aarhus Convention is the most ambitious venture in environmental democracy undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations. Its adoption is a remarkable step forward in the development of international law as it relates to participatory democracy and citizens' environmental rights. Its entry into force today, little more than three years after it was adopted, is further evidence of the firm commitment to those principles of the Signatories--including States in Eastern Europe and Central Asia whose role in this process clearly demonstrates that environmental rights are not a luxury reserved for rich countries."
United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights Mary Robinson sent her congratulations on the occasion, saying that the "Convention is a remarkable achievement not only in terms of protection of the environment, but also in terms of the promotion and protection of human rights, which lie at the heart of the text. As such, Aarhus is a key step in the process of integrating human rights and environmental issues... The great value of this convention lies not only in the promise of protection it affords the people and the environment in Europe, but also in the model it provides for similar action in other nations and regions in the world. It is truly a trailblazer in this regard, the entry into force we are celebrating today is a key signpost for the future of humans and the environment in all parts of the world."
Dr. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UNEP, congratulated the entry into force of the Aarhus Convention, the first legally binding instrument for access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters. He underlined the global significance of this achievement and noted that UNEP and UNECE have joined forces and forged partnerships to implement the Convention through a number of training courses in Central and Eastern Europe for a variety of audiences.
The next speaker, Bazo Kovacevic, Minister of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning of Croatia, who hosted the Second Meeting of Signatories, said that “entry into force of the Aarhus Convention is a historical landmark and an unprecedented example of protection of the environment...We all agree that the Aarhus Convention will change the environmental world."
On behalf of the Ministry of Environment and National Resources of Ukraine, Ministry Advisor Anna Golubovskaya-Onisimova congratulated the oustanding achievement. She emphasized that the participation of the NGO Coalition in the process from the beginning of negotiations was unprecedented in UN history. She also said, "the Aarhus Convention is unique in many ways. It is the first example of international legislation which set up obligations not only between governments of the countries, but between governments and public. Finally it shapes a new culture of dialogue involving governments, the public and individuals aimed at building the environmental pillar for sustainable development." Everybody agreed with her statement that the implementation of the Aarhus Convention is not going to be an easy task, especially in the countries in transition where democracy is still very young and environmental problems are acute.
John Hontelez, who said that for NGOs the Road to Aarhus started on a boat between Vienna and Budapest in March 1990 at the first ever pan-European conference of independent environmental organizations, held just a few months after totalitarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe were abolished. He emphasized that UNECE work on the Sofia Guidelines and later on the Aarhus Convention was characterized by openness and recognition of the roles of environmental organizations in the preparatory process, as well as in negotiations and ratification.
Magda Toth Nagy presented greetings from Regional Environmental Center for Eastern and Central Europe (REC). She said that the very short time within which the Convention entered into force indicates the historic importance of its content and novelty of its principles. The Aarhus Convention is considered a priority international agreement by the governments and NGOs of many countries of the region. She stressed the importance of the work carried out by all Working Groups and Task Forces under the Convention (PRTR, GMOs, compliance mechanism, access to justice).
At the end of reporting the Secretary of the Aarhus Convention, Jeremy Wates, draw attention to the big doors “Doors to democracy” installed in the middle of the room. There were such tablets at the door: “Secret”, “Access denied”, “NGO! Go away! We are trying to work”
As the Convention declares environmental rights of the present and future generations, he proposed children to do so. Two girls came forward and tried to push the doors open. They failed. Jeremy Wates called two boys to help. A few Ministers of Italy, Croatia and Ukraine helped and also failed. What to do? -Jeremy asked. He called upon NGO representatives, because of their role in preparation, ratification and implementation of the Convention. A few NGO representatives involved in the process (John Hontelez, Fe Sanchis Moreno, and Svitlana Kravchenko) came forward, pulled the door, and the door was opened!!!
You can find pictures of the event at the website www.unece.org/env/pp/in.force.htm.